The Sickly Youngest Member of the Villainous Family

Arriving at Paramena, the northernmost town in the territory, Recardo’s horse halted.

 

The knights and soldiers, numbering over a hundred, who followed, also halted their horses.

 

Recardo’s brow furrowed.

 

Black smoke was billowing from the chimneys of the snow-covered village.

 

It was a quiet village of twenty families. Its function was to produce artillery shells.

 

The precious minerals buried beneath the village’s soil willingly gave away the energy needed for production.

 

Rowen dismounted and looked at the footprints on the ground.

 

“There are traces of someone having been here before.”

 

At that moment, the black flame from Recardo’s body rode the shadows and searched every corner of the village.

 

“…….”

 

A moment later, the black flame was retrieved, and Recardo spoke.

 

“No one is here.”

 

“You mean the enemy has fled?”

 

“No.”

 

Recardo dismounted from his horse and stepped on the ground.

 

“I mean, there is literally no one here.”

 

Not a single trace of the village residents was visible.

 

The signs of life remained, but it seemed as if they had evaporated.

 

“It seems to be the work of bandits. There is no doubt that they have kidnapped the residents.”

 

Before coming to Paramena, they had subdued thirty bandits in the excessive territory.

 

“The prophet of Mechius prophesied that  Winchester is not the rightful heir of the dragon! One of Recardo Winchester’s children will become the seed of destruction…… ugh…….”

 

The guy who calmly spoke to the public even after being caught was dealt with a single blow, but unlike before, the residents were distrustful.

 

A prophet of Mechius was said to have appeared. He foretold four plagues that would precede the destruction.

 

The first is the plague of wolves, the second is the plague of snakes, and the third is the plague of eagles…, and the fourth is the plague of a girl.

 

If these four plagues were fulfilled, the world would be destroyed by the Winchesters.

 

The Prophet of Mechius is said to be an old man in a black robe, with incredible powers.

 

“The disaster of the wolf has already come to pass. Soon, the disaster of the snake will strike Winchester…!”

 

They shouted with completely brainwashed, vacant eyes.

 

“Winchester is a sinking ship!”

 

The residents, too, were in a state of agitation, and public opinion was in turmoil.

 

Recardo intended to uncover the truth of what was happening within the territory.

 

Vanessa’s schemes came to an end with her death.

 

And what was happening now was related to what Vanessa had said before she died.

 

“The Prophet…… spoke to me. That if I killed Sasha, my dead child would return and be the key of Mechius.”

 

A new conspiracy was brewing.

 

When such systematic and thorough actions were observed, the scale of the enemy would be considerable.

 

Vanessa, the head of Halo’s household, may have been one of their victims.

 

“Considering that there are rumors of a decline in power circulating among the residents… it is clear that there is a conspiracy at play.”

 

The number of horse tracks was significant.

 

“I suggest you return home for the day, having expressed the family’s intentions through the disposal of supporters, they will not be able to go on a rampage for some time.”

 

“Prepare a trap.”

 

Recardo’s words startled Rowen.

 

“If it’s a trap, then…….”

 

“They will return.”

 

“But will they return? Even though they know we have been there.”

 

“The Prophet is a pretty confident guy. He has a certain bravado. He’s pretty consistent in the direction of his head.”

 

Recardo’s sharp gaze turned toward the village.

 

“The fact that there’s not a speck of dust on the tools of daily life indicates that they’ve only been gone a short time. It’s likely they sensed our presence and scurried away.”

 

“Ah…….”

 

“They will return to this small village.”

 

Rowen narrowed his eyes.

 

“We can set traps around the central warehouse.”

 

Rowen looked at Recardo blankly, then nodded.

 

Recardo was a man of few words. When he did speak, it was on behalf of a subject only he could address.

 

He was already thinking several moves ahead.

 

“Understood, your Grace.”

 

Within moments, Rowen was handing out traps with complex formulas to the men. They were items provided by Akada.

 

“And Rowen.”

 

“You will stay hidden here today.”

 

“As you wish. What are your plans, Your Grace?”

 

Rehcardo’s gaze turned to the south where the sun was setting.

 

The sky was high and brilliant, but there was a chilling air in his deep green eyes.

 

“I must return to the mansion.”

 

***

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“Everyone was staring at Jin as if they were under a spell.

 

I, too, couldn’t utter a word.

 

It was because I couldn’t believe what was happening before my eyes.

 

Several seconds had passed since Jin’s hand pierced through the heart of Leviathan…

 

“……Leviathan……Leviathan…….”

 

” Jin Winchester has defeated Leviathan!”

 

“Leviathan has fallen.”

 

It was evident that the life force was leaving Leviathan’s crimson eyes.

 

Blood from Leviathan’s heart flowed down Jin’s wrist to his elbow, dripping steadily.

 

Leviathan, who had been formidable just moments ago, lost strength and slumped to the side. There was a tremendous crashing sound, but I did not cover my ears.

 

Jin’s expression was not visible, and his cloak was fluttering around until all the dust disappeared.

 

Kather, who had almost torn the iron gate apart, growled low.

 

Bang, bang, as Evan pushed through the almost open door he spoke.

 

“It looks like something happened.”

 

Permetis, who had been pale since earlier, shrank further at Evan’s words.

 

“…….”

 

The aftermath of Leviathan’s fall had left the hall in a complete mess.

 

Leviathan’s tail had destroyed all the furniture in the hall and even damaged the walls, and the floor was on the verge of collapse.

 

It was like a building demolition site.

 

“Are you okay, brother?”

 

I walked over to Jin.

 

In the end, this was Jin’s hard-won victory.

 

It was the final blow that he put all his strength into. It was Jin’s blow that cut off Leviathan’s breath.

 

[Health reduced].

 

[Stats: 28 Stamina / 20 Strength / 10 Dexterity / 41 Intelligence / 36 Health]

 

I’m down to 36 health again, but it’s better than being reduced to zero by Leviathan’s attack.

 

“…….”

 

Jin slowly turned around to face me. There was a chilling glow in his dark eyes.

 

I realized the magnitude of my power in that glow. I must have become a human power amplifier.

 

After all, I had turned Jin, who was already a monster, into a true monster.

 

“……. Thank goodness.”

 

I took a step forward and stopped in front of him.

 

Jin stared at me in disbelief, as if wondering why I’d done that.

 

However, he did not blame me.

 

If I hadn’t made that choice, everyone would have died.

 

And at that moment, I felt something surging up from inside me.

 

“Cough!”

 

Blood spewed out of my mouth with a foul odor.

 

“Sasha!”

 

Jin’s eyes trembled. Evan, who seemed to have been looking elsewhere the whole time, was approaching me step by step.

 

“You!”

 

Blood dripped down my chin.

 

Ah, is this the beginning of another frail life?

 

And then it happened.

 

Clang—

 

Along with the sensation of blood flowing, a clear sound rang out.

 

I looked down and saw the cracked dark goblet.

 

It must have flown here from the battle with Leviathan.

 

I could see my own blood pooling in it.

 

Then.

 

“……!!!”

 

“What on earth…!!”

 

An astonishingly dazzling five-colored light stretched out from the goblet.

 

It began to take the shape of plants, rapidly growing in size. What was once a single stem branched out, each branch thickening to the size of a child’s torso, and dozens of flowers began to bloom on each stem.

 

The scene before me seemed nothing short of a fantasy.

 

The tree and flowers were all glowing.

 

“What the hell is that?”

 

“The goblet is broken, or that goblet has become a tree!”

 

The murmurs of the people could be heard.

 

If what I saw was visible to everyone’s eyes, was it real?

 

“Holy shit…..that kid…… didn’t have normal powers.”

 

“How can a Winchester child not have the power of black flames!”

 

“But she summoned a gatekeeper dog! It wouldn’t be tamed with normal powers!”

 

“I’ve never seen…… a power like this before.”

 

How the hell did this happen?

 

I staggered and leaned against Jin’s shoulder as he caught me.

 

Evan’s gaze was also on the tree.

 

In Evan’s memories that I’ve seen, there were no scenes like this, making it quite unusual.

 

Then a voice interrupted.

 

“As expected, Ingredient Unni…..I thought you would create a miracle.”

 

Cassillion’s purple eyes, shining with intense joy, entered through the collapsed entrance as if enchanted.

 

“A miracle that only faithfulness and noble sacrifice can create.”

 

At that moment, I remembered the list of precious ingredients I had read about in a book.

 

“In the legends, a divine tree had only ten flowers, but this… is truly remarkable.”

 

The essence of a divine tree was on that list.

 

Cough, the blood continued to flow, but I chose not to despair.

 

The hope I’d been given in exchange for my suffering had blossomed so brightly.

 

In a slightly lower voice, as if speaking to himself, Cassilion added.

 

“And… the essence of a divine tree is also the material for the greatest creation I want to make in my life.”